
Glass__E_Vi-"L 
Book ^Ml 



A DISCOURSE 



PREPARED FOR THE 



Ts; iVTIOjN'A.J^ WA.ST DA.^ 



JUNE it^^t, 186 5, 



ON ACCOUNT OF THE 



PufiUv 0( 0wr Utt irt^iiUwt, 



AND PREACHED AT 

T. THOMAS' CHUECK, IIOIIESTEAD, BALTIiTORE COU.^TY, M". 
By ETHAN ALLEN. Eector. 



(Published at the request of its hecuT 



BALTIMORE: 
PRINTED BY WM. K. BOYLE, 

Successor to Johx D. Toy. 



1866. 






4J**«^«^ 






DISCOURSE. 



Jesus turning unto them said — Daughters of Jerusalem, 
weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for 
YOUR CHILDREN. Liike, 23 : 28. 

Five hundred and fifty years before the Christian era, the 
coming of one had been foretold — Dan. 9 : 25 — who was called 
Messiah — the Prince — or chief ruler. The time of his coming at 
length arrived. And the angel said to Mary — Luke. 1 : 31-2 — 
thou shalt call his name Jesus. And the Lord God shall give 
unto him the throne of his father David, — 2 : 11 — the angels at 
his birth announced him to the shepherds — a Savior, who is 
Christ the Lord. The wise men from the East, come now to 
Jerusalem, asking, — Mat. 2 : 2 — where is he, that is born King 
or chief ruler of the Jews? and the guiding star of heaven leads 
them to Jesus, At length, he enters on his ministry — and the 
memorable confession of Nathaniel is — John, 1 : 49 — thou art 
the king of Israel. By and by, he stands before the bar of Pilate — 
18 : 37 — and is asked by him. Art thou a king ? and he said, I 
am. Very soon, he is seen on the Cross, and the words written 
thereon, by the Governor, as pointing out who that crucified one 
was, were — Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. 

He was thus, not only prophet — the great teaclier come from 
God — as one of the Jevfish Council confessed — John^ 3: 2 — not 
only a priest — being both the sacrifice — the Lamb of God — 1 : 
29 — and the sacrificer, offering himself to God — Heb. 9: 14 — he 
was also king, the chief ruler, who came to reign — to exercise 
government on earth, and to him, so he affirmed, all authority in 
heaven and on earth had been committed, Mat. 28 : 18. 



As showing this somewhat— the Jews themselves confessed — 
Mat. 7: 29 — that he spake as one having authority. Besides 
this, he exhibited in his many acts, a power which was none other 
than the power of God — 1 Cor. 1 : 24— this stands acknowledged. 
And then, he was one in whom was found no sin, Heb. 4:15. 
He was, indeed, falsely accused — Luke, 23 : 10 — and falsely tes- 
tified against— Mark, 14: 6 — and yet even his heathen judge an- 
nounced to the Jews, I find no fault in him, Luke, 23 : 4. Three 
years, at least, he had been publicly before the nation — such, 
nevertheless, Avas the proclaimed verdict. 

But though designated and attested as he had been, by angels — 
by the Eastern Magi and others, as the king of the Jews — and 
with a character above all reproach — upon the very first occasion 
of his announcing publicly what he came to be, those hearing him 
were filled with wrath, and sought to kill him — Luke, 4 : 28, 9— 
not, indeed, by secret murder — but by openly attempting, to cast 
him headlong down a precipice of rocks. But, he passing through 
the midst of them, went his way. 

At length, near the end of his third year, some of the chief 
men of the nation consulted, and sought how they might take 
him by craft — Mark, 14: 1 — and put him to death. They soon 
found one, who would betray him to them, for thirty pieces of 
silver — Mat. 26: 15 — and this he did. He was then taken, and 
his condemnation was obtained from the Governor, by the joeople 
calHng out for his death — thus making themselves responsible for 
it — and this procured his sentence. 

And as he was being led to execution — among the multitude 
following along the way — there were some who loved him — they 
were his friends — they were women, and Avere sadly — sadly weep- 
ing. And he turned and said to them — Daughters of Jerusa- 
lem — weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your 
children, adding an emphatic prophecy, as containing the reason 
why. But he was led on to the place appointed, and was there 
crucified. Yes, he, the King of the Jews — the head of the na- 
tion — of the body, which that people were — they shed his blood — 
they murdered him — they thus cut off their own head. It was 
the crowning act of rebellion. 

The crime of murder is a high crime, even in the case of a 
private individual. By the law of God, and by the law of all 



nations, its penalty is the murderer's own blood. But the mur- 
der of a chief ruler, is not the murder of an individual man sim- 
ply — it is the murder of the nation's head — the one holding its 
highest seat of power, and is the highest crime that can be com- 
mitted in a nation. It is a crime against the nation — it is a crime 
against the God of nations — it touches the IMajesty in the heavens 
himself. 

You and I, Brethren — believe that there is a God. So, in our 
Creed we but just now professed, and we believe the Bible is his 
word. Now, the crime before us reached him, as we have stated. 
It did not reach, simply and alone, the man Jesus — it reached him 
that sent him — that appointed Jesus king of the Jews — and I, 
saith Jehovah, have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion — so 
we ourselves sing in the second Psalm — and that king did himself 
say — He that despiseth [lit. rejecteth] me, despiseth [rejecteth] 
Him that sent me. 

There is indeed no authority, no governmental power but from 
God himself— Rom. 13: 1. — The Scriptures are full and explicit 
upon this subject— John, 19: 10— -3: 27, 31— James, 1: 17— Dan. 
4 : 17: 25, etc. And the Scriptures declaring it, the Church has 
appointed to be read, and so preached, to her worshippers four 
times at least every year, that they be not unmindful of the fact. 
And what God has thus declared — the Christian will not disbe- 
lieve, or call in question. 

To set aside this, however, I am told, that "it ignores the entire 
theory and frame-work of our government, under which we live — 
which is totally nnlike that of an Emperor or King, who is the 
source of power, and embodiment of sovereignty, while our rulers 
are merel}^ public servants or agents, the people themselves being 
the sovereigns — and our rulers become such by their election." 
Now, it would be sufScient for me to say, that there must be error 
here — ^just inasmuch as it sets aside God's word — and yet that 
word simply, I am set to teach 

But I may remark in passing, that the error or errors rather in 
these statements are patent and palpable. In the first place, 
granting that the people are sovereigns, election does not consti- 
tute one a ruler — it is at best, but an act of designation to office — 
it does not by itself confer authority to officiate therein. A man 
may be elected by an unanimous vote — and ytu without some- 



6 

thing further, he dare nut execute the duties of that oftice, even 
though it be but that of a constable. Besides his election, he 
must be invested in office, by those authorized to do so, in the 
manner provided — he must be commissioned — inaugurated — have 
the official declaration of authority committed to him. 

Again, men are imposed upon by names. An emperor or king 
is no more the source of power, or embodiment of sovereignty, 
than is a president, for his term of office — who combines as ours 
does, the legislative, along with the executive and military power. 
In either case — the source of power, under God, is the same — in 
the one, as truly as the other. In the one case, it is by tlie will 
of the people expressed by a majority at the polls — and in the 
other, by the will of the people expressed by a minority, (for such 
an aristocracy always are,) and often expressed at the point of the 
bayonet, designating the immediate incumbent and his successors 
perhaps; and which exhibits God's interference the more, however it 
may be understood, may be safely left to any man's common sense. 
But besides — it is said, our rulers are public servants or agents, 
and pray what rulers are not? Even our blessed Lord — though 
all authority in heaven and on earth had been committed to him, 
took upon him the form of a servant, and tells us, that he came 
not to be served, but to be a servant. — Phil. 2: 7 — Mat. 20 : 28 — 
Mark, 10 : 45. 

Perhaps this may be said, to be preaching politics. — But not 
so, it is preaching against politics which go to set aside God's 
word. When politics undertake to set aside the plain truth of 
God's word, must nothing be said by his ministers to vindicate 
that word ? must their mouths be closed, and so let political infi- 
delity have its full sweep, because the infidelity is in connection 
with politics ? is this faithfulness to their Master and the souls of 
men ? is it honest ? 

And here, let this one thing be remembered, let any thing — we 
care not what, interpose to undermine or over-ride — whether by 
its philosophy, or otherwise, the plain and express teachings of 
God's word, be it Calvinism or Arminianism, anti-masonry or 
abolitionism — infidelity or spiritualism — temperance or tradition — 
politics or false teachings — heresy or schisms — the ultimate result 
will be disastrous to personal piety — and throw open the flood- 
gates of error. Let any one, make any thing paramount or supe- 
rior to the teachings of our great Master — so that be interprets, 



or sqnnres them thereby — and he has adopted a principle, which 
cannot but be detrimental to the influence of Gospel truth in 
lumself, and over others, and may end in the loss of his own soul. 
But to come back to the point from which we have wandered, 
if it be indeed wandering. There is, in truth, no ruling author- 
ity, no governing power, but from God — directly or indirectly — 
so his word records. Men may not in fact believe that record — 
but so surely as they live He will sooner or later vindicate him- 
self. Men cannot do that which goes to invade his throne, with- 
out calling forth his justice in stern and terrible retribution. 
Men may act, and communities too may act, as if there were no 
God — but they will alike, in his due time, come to know — that 
there is a God that judgeth in the earth. 

We turn then here, to the inquiry — Who was it that crucified, 
that murdered Jesus, the king — the chief ruler of the Jews — on 
whom did the crime rest ? We do not indeed ask, who pronounced 
the sentence of execution. We know who. We do not ask; who 
were the executioners ? — that too we know. But by whom was 
it brought about? who plotted— who planned it — who said it 
must be done? who gave the thirty pieces of silver for his being 
betrayed ? Who does not know, that this was the work of a 
select and leading few, who were the fabricators and leaders of 
public opinion — the scribes and pharisees — the priests and officers 
of the temple — the lawyers — the literati — the priesthood, and the 
office-holders of the nation ! 

And yet, all these could have accomplished nothing — had they 
not had their party — the multitude to sustain, to abet and aid them, 
who said, we will not have this man to reign and rule over us. 
It was the multitude thus influenced that demanded the blood of 
Jesus. Leaders indeed, do not dare to do that, which is not 
called for and approved by the multitude, as a general thing, and 
that approval identifies them with the leaders in their acts. And 
thus it is, the act is theirs — they become thus part and parcel in 
the crime — and partakers in the guilt. 

The murder before us was not indeed — as we are thankful to 
bear in mind here — an act sustained by all and every individual 
of the Jewish nation — there were certainly exceptions, and such 
were the disciples of the suflering Jesus— such certainly were the 
women weeping, mentioned in our text. 



8 

But by what act, or acts, did the leaders and the people so 
generally identify themselves, and become involved in, this crime 
of blood ? 

First — they rejected the Messiah — their king — not being bap- 
tized unto him. This failure or neglect, was their rejection of 
him — so we are shown, in the case of the Pharisees and lawyers 
in John's time — Lk. 7 : 30 — they rejected, it is stated, the comisel 
of God- — calling them to repentance — and how ? by not being 
baptized with his baptism — so it was with the multitude here. 
In one point of view, baptism is the oath of allegiance unto 
Jesus — it is binding one to him and his government. And when 
this tie to the ruler, or his government is not given — all know 
that one's position in relation to that ruler or government — and 
according to our Locd's decision before us — it is a rejection — 
showing him an enemy to that Euler and against him — so in any 
case — it is distinctly saying, we will not have him to rule over us. 

Secondly — th.ey called for — they approved of his murder — their 
loud cry went up, crucify him — they called for his death, and 
those so calling, were as guilty, if not in degree — yet in fact — 
were as really guilty of his blood — as were those who ordered 
it — or as were those who nailed him to the cross. They thus sus- 
tained the personal actors in the terrible deed — tliey backed 
them. They were thus actually aiders and abettors of it — nay, 
they were, in law, principals. 

Thirdly — the}' rejoiced in the deed being done. Tliey treated 
him in \vord and in acts, with shameful indignity and con- 
tempt. Tiicy did the same to his followers also — his party, and 
sin:iply because they were his. They not only showed thus, 
that they were against — but gladly against him, and they carried 
it so far, that they insulted Him — their king — on the cross while in 
his very agonies of death — they gloried in being rebels against him. 

In all this, they thus aided directly, or indirectly in procuring 
the death of their king — in cutting off the head of the nation 
from its body — and so became partakers in its terrible guilt. 

Tlius then, as now shown — the Jews had crucified their King — 
they killed him — they were guilty of his blood — now, as before 
stated — it was a crime against the nation, and as such, should in 
their national capacity have been punished by it — This is accord- 
ing to the principle of God's law, justice requires this — and if not 
executed — blood rests upon the land. The land cannot he cleansed 



9 

of the blood that is shed therein, bid by the blood of him that shed 
it. So spake God to his people of old. Num. 35: 33 — Such is 
his express declaration and as being the ground of his penal laws 
respecting murder. 

But the power of tlie Civil Government ma}' not be able to 
reach all that are equall}^ guilty — though it may reach those guilty 
of the overt' act — It may indeed reach the accomplices if known 
and found — but all aiders and abettors — equally criminal in point 
of law and fact, it may not be able to reach. 

Or as in the case before us — the nation itself as a whole being 
the party guilty — it will not purify the land of the blood shed — 
In either case, it becomes his work, from whom no secret is hid — 
and whose justice cannot be bribed, and will not always sleep — 
and from that justice, there is no escape. And as nations, or 
people, as such, have no eternity, they must of course meet the 
retributions of that Justice in time. 

When therefore our Lord said to his weeping followers — Weep 
not for me — but weep for yourselves and for your children — he 
added, For behold the days are coming — aye coming, in the 
which — they — your children — shall say — blessed are the women, 
that never bare, and the breasts which never nursed — for then — in 
those days, shall they say to the mountains, fall on us — to the hills 
cover us — for if they do these things to the green tree — and such , 
the righteous one is — what shall be done to the dry? the wicked — 
compare Ezek. 20: 47 — 21: 4 — for behold the righteous shall be 
recompensed in the earthy much more the wicked and the sinner. 
Prov. 11: 81. If judgment begin at the house of God, what 
shall the end be, of them that obey not the gospel of God — 
1 Pet. 4: 17. 

Now what was done to his followers — may show us — why he 
said to them weep for yourselves. But amidst all their persecu- 
tions and sufferings they endured, that generation lived on 
through all — and in due time passed away — the grave covered 
them — they were gone. Nor did God then come out to visit the 
murderers for their crime — to vindicate the majesty of his vio- 
lated justice. But retribution was entailed — Judgment fell not on 
those murderers personally — but it did fall upon their children — 
a generation not living, when the great crime was committed. 

And were they partakers of their fathers' guilt? Why as their 
Fathers did — so did they — they refused their allegiance to their 



ir 



10 

king — and rejected him, not being baptized unto liim — tliey 
repented not. As their Fathers thought of Jesus — so, being 
taught by them, their eluldren thought of him — held respectin 
him — spoke respecting him — they were the children of the: 
fathers, and treated his memory as they liad treated him in per- 
son. Of this their treatment of his followers, gave full and ample 
proof — for it was what it was, because they were his f(>llowers — 
and their treatment of them, was just so treating him. Why then, 
sliould not the Visitation fall on them? 

With the principle indeed involved here, we, as readers of the 
Bible are familiar and as students of history know to be true. 
Sunday after Sunday, and year after year — We hear God's law 
procUximing to us — I, the Lord God, visit the sins of the fathers 
upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation, of them 
that hate me — These generations continuing to hate me as did 
the first. The responsibility of one generation to another — of 
fathers to children, we are shown thus is tremendous. Thej'- en- 
tail guilt on their descendants, and, along with the guilt, its 
righteous punishment. 

With this indeed the Jew found fault. He said; — Ezek. 18: 
19: — doth the son bear the iniquity of the father? God answers 
no— for if the son, turning away from the iniquity of the father, 
doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall live and not die — 
he shall not incur the penalty of the father's sin. 

But as we have seen — the Jews now did not turn away from 
their Fathers' sin and a generation had now passed away — Thirty- 
three years had elapsed, and they not only had not ceased their rebel- 
lion against Jesus, their king — but were left to involve themselves 
in another rebellion — they insanely revolted from their civil gov- 
ernment — the Roman. We say insanely — because they, a small 
country, of about 160 miles in length, and 120 in breadth, with 
a population, probably not exceeding 4,000,000, waged war with 
the Koman government — then, the government of the world, 
having 120,000^000 population, and drew down upon themselves 
its whole power. In the course of three years — their three pro- 
vinces — Judea, Samaria and Galilee were conquered, and all their 
towns were taken and destroyed — with the loss — as given us by 
their own historian — of 250,000 slain. Their City — the City of 
Jerusalem, was itself then besieged. This occurred at one of their 



11 

great annual festivals — that of the passover — when the city was 
filled with tho?e, who had come up to that festival, from all parts 
of the land, and it was encompassed and shut up by the Roman 
Armies. 

Still more insanely — supposing, that their walls insured their 
safety from the enemy outside — they became divided into three 
fierce contending parties — who slaughtered each other with fiend- 
ish cruelty. Soon came famine, and multitudes died therLl'Lini 
daily — and such was the extremity to which they were reduced— 
that houses were sacked — dead bodies were searched and when 
nothing else could be found, girdles — shoes — dried grass were 
eagerly devoured, and one lady even murdered and roasted and 
ate her own child. At length the walls were broken down and the 
city was so completely destroyed, that the plough-share was made 
to pass in triumph over it. The number that perished in the 
siege is stated at 1,000,000, and the remainder taken captives was 
near 100,000 — of these many were thrown to the wild beasts as 
sport for their captors — many were sent into Africa to work in 
the mines and the rest were sold every where, at a contemptible 
price as slaves. So perished Jerusalem and the Jews as a nation. 

And these, let it be remembered, were the children of those, 
who killed their king — these were the dry tree — withered, lifeless, 
fruitless. They were separated by their own course, from their 
appointed head — they abode not in him — Jno. 15: 6 — and thus 
were gathered together, cast into the fiery caldron and consumed. 

But the green trees — what came upon them, in the n>idst of 
this terrible desolation? Filled with terror and affright, as we 
may easily understand they must have been, by the dark clouds 
rolling over them — we wonder not, that they should call on the 
mountains to fall on them, and on the hills to cover and conceal 
them from the overwhelmiug ruin. And it was not without deep 
meaning that Jesus had said to their mothers — the daughters of 
Jerusalem — Weep for your children — for in this day of ven- 
geance — with others, they suffered all the horrors of famine the 

loss of all worldly goods and the destruction of their dwellino-s 

and thus found themselves, houseless — homeless — ragged to even 

nakedness — mere skeletons. These things they could not escape 

they fell on all alike. 

But though weeping may endure for a night, joy cometh in the 



12 

morning — Ps. 30 : 5 — and so it fell out, in the providence of 
God — that just before the final destruction of the city — for three 
days, the siege was raised, and the armies were removed from the 
walls. During these days, the disciples — having been fore- 
warned — fled from the city — across the Jordan N. B. to Pella, a 
city in the mountains, distant, some seventy miles, and were all 
saved alive — not a hair of their heads perished, as it had been 
promised — and there for ages, a Christian Church flourished 
And, as they were rescued, so all might have been. Who pos- 
sibly can doubt it? 

In bringing this subject forward now, it is not, to institute any 
personal comparison, between the character of Jesus of Nazareth, 
and that of any earthly ruler whomsoever — much less that of the 
late President of the United States — whose assassination called 
the nation to fasting and mourning, on this first day of June — 
God forbid that we should do this. But it is brought forward, 
because a great principle of God's government of the world, is 
involved, which we should not overlook — the one, being consti- 
tuted the chief ruler of the Jews — the other the chief magistrate 
of a nation. His murder therefore, is not to be looked at as that 
of a private, individual man — but as the murder of the ofiicial 
head of the people of the land — and so looked at, it is a crime 
which in no other case, can be paralleled — it is so regarded by the 
North and the South, and the governments of Europe. That in 
our case, it was called forth by our national sins — no one recog- 
nizing the Government of the Judge of all the earth, will for one 
moment deny. These sins have brought this blood upon our 
land. Our rulers indeed do well in aiming to cleanse the land by 
the blood of them that shed it. They may do much — but 0, 
how many there may be as truly guilty as the hand that struck 
the fatal blow, whom they cannot reach. To reach such, that 
is in the hands of God — and in view of the great fact that his 
day of retribution must come, we may well say — weep for your- 
selves and for your children. We thank God indeed that so 
many assemble to day under the appointment of the national 
authority to confess their sins — to seek God's pardon and the 
turning away his displeasure from our Land. May the ■ prayers 
this day oftered be heard, and the blessing of the living God be 
secured to ourselves and to our children to latest generations. 



LB S '12 



